


6555 A.D. The Job.

by LittleBluejay_SingingSongs



Series: The Things We Did. [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: December 2020 Story., It’s a Love Story, M/M, The Diseased, Zombie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:06:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBluejay_SingingSongs/pseuds/LittleBluejay_SingingSongs
Summary: 4,535 years after the great die off. Gogo does his job. Loves his husbands.This story contains love, death, loss, depression your basic adult themes.(Hm, like the movies; Blade Runner, all the Mad Max movies, Star Wars, etc.)Enjoy. 🦖Happy New Year 🎆
Relationships: Gogo/Red/Crazy
Series: The Things We Did. [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993306
Kudos: 1





	1. Gogo at work.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gogo works with Leon, the gunner and Ye, the pilot. He hunts down diseased people.

Joey had the air of a man who was completely unfazed by all of life’s disasters. He made sure the quadcopter was fueled and ready for Leon. Then they flew to Gogo’s pickup point while Leon quietly fumed. “Every single morning. Why? Why can’t he be ready and waiting for us?” He fiddled with his equipment and made the connection to Gogo’s implant, saying, “Tiick tock.” Willing the man to be at the pick up point. What could he be doing? Sometimes it seemed like he’d not be there on time. He silently swore to himself. He was never there early enough to be waiting for them. Was he? No!

“Tiick tock.”

Red oblivious to Leon’s predicament, sleepily kissed the back of Gogo’s neck as they snuggled in bed, while Crazy’s head was buried up under Gogo’s chin. Gogo’s given name, Marlon, was never used by anyone, while Crazy’s was totally unknown to everyone. Marlon heard Leon’s, “Tiick tock,” for the third time.

Red and Crazy knew from Gogo’s stretching and cracking his neck, it was time to get up. Crazy rolled out of bed and nimbly landed on his feet.

They helped Gogo with his shaving, showering, drying off and dressing, while they wore towels at their waists. A large room held everything, clothing, bedding, first aid, weapons and ammo. It had a door into the bedroom and the bathroom. Crazy entered what he called “the black hole” and fetched Gogo’s white shirt and pants. They got him ready rather quickly considering they did not work like a well oiled machine.

“Tiick tock.” Gogo shook his head, as if that would still Leon’s voice in his head. When they were first assigned to each other Leon had used other phrases, such as “Get up, Rise and shine, and Time to go, buddy.” Gogo had exited the building and aimed his weapon at the overhead transport every time it drew near him for the rest of the day. Then, he calmly informed Leon, “Tick tock, works.” Leon’s anger faded when Ye informed him about a few battles in Marlon’s past. “If he ever yells, “Go, go.” I’m leaving. That may be the only warning we’ll get.” They’d worked together for twenty one years, four months and twelve days. Management piled on the perks at their successes. Everything, except money.

Marlon looked out the apartment’s only window to the same view as the day before. “Tiick tock.”

The tiny window had the only exit on one side and a large wall safe type of delivery door on the other. Currently a package waited with breakfasts and lunches for two.

“Tiick tock.”

Crazy removed a lanyard with an ID from around his neck and placed it on Gogo. As Gogo tucked the badge into his left breast pocket, showing off the red upper third, Crazy fastened a gun belt around Gogo’s waist. Red tucked ammo and his weapons, loaded, into the belt’s holsters. Gogo checked the weapons. “Tick tock.” He was ready to leave. But, not before saying goodbye. He had a habit of saying goodbye as if it was the last time they’d ever say goodbye. Thirty percent didn’t make it past seven years, when they graduated from a blue ID to the red. If they were not killed outright, then they usually got the disease. More than one of the diseased wore white. Some with the blue and white tag still hanging around their necks.

Gogo kissed Red, affectionately, as if Crazy wasn’t watching. His hands running over his red hair and down over the muscles Red worked so hard to keep buff. Red leaned into the kiss. Gogo felt a deep sense of belonging and security from being with these two men. Being watched by Crazy was good. He liked being watched by a member of his family. His husbands. He kissed Crazy with the same warm affection. Knowing Crazy always liked to be touched, he nibbled at an ear and slid a hand down his chest. Crazy moaned. Red ran his hand up and down Crazy’s back.

Gogo took a step back, steeled himself, the tingling on his lips dissipated and out he went.

Gogo entered the crowd surrounding the stalls selling food. He took a stick from a vendor’s hand and ate the meat. That the vendor was about to hand it to another customer, he ignored. The vendor and the customer did not object. Like the force of water on sand, he moved in the crowd. People moved out of his way and let him take what he wanted. He walked some distance into a residential area and entered a house, used their facilities and left. The children excitedly told their parents. The mother said, “We are so lucky. No harm will come this way when he is around!” The family all went outside to watch him and his overhead helicopter. It was true. Gogo left a path of peace in his wake.

Gogo’s training had kicked into gear as he’d exited his abode. Surrounded by people he had to make sure he didn’t startle and accidentally kill any civilians. He let loose and became more feral when he entered the no man zone. Several miles later he saw a target. He fired and they went down. Gogo didn’t approach the diseased man. He continued his search.

The copter lowered Leon, wearing protective gear, to the body. Leon listed off a series of numbers. Explaining where and when, and who and what, to his supervisor. He dropped a flamer on the body and returned to the craft.

Gogo ignored all of the numbers except for the one oh one. A successful kill of a diseased human. The small bomb exploded encasing the body in flames.

Gogo walked, hunting. When he was thirsty he checked the area, raised a hand and found a crevice and waited. Leon dropped water down to him on a thin rope. He pulled up the container when Gogo had drunk his fill.

Late in the afternoon he found a second target. “Something is different.” He raised a hand. The target hid. Gogo twirled his index finger and started a circle, searching. He now held a pistol in each hand.

Joey, wary of rockets, started circling and kept his distance. Leon kept his eyes on everything, the ground, other’s who may be airborne in the distance, Gogo, and the missing target. Leon saw one. A woman, “On your 2, ten meters.”

Joey commanded, “Seven!” A missile took off, from behind the chopter. Leon fired. The missile blew up. It was obviously home made and not very large.

That wasn’t right thought Gogo. He pointed back to his earlier eleven, as he moved to follow Leon’s lead and gave the briefest of glances at the explosion. A quick look to verify no one on foot was headed from that area towards him.

Joey crossed over Gogo’s track and moved to the left to cover the area at Gogo’s eleven. A second missile came from their nine and again Leon shot it down. Leon remarked, “Two in one day.”

Joey moved closer, “There is a second target. Back at your eleven.” Leon manned the firearm and fired a burst of several shots. Joey stated flatly, “Verified.” Leon said numbers, including one zero one, and two two, which meant a diseased person was shot, killed, left where they lay, and the kill was verified by his driver.

Gogo fired and missed. He ran closer and fired a second time. Again he missed.

Leon watched with dismay. How did Gogo miss twice? Leon went back to looking everywhere. Gogo fired. Leon checked. Gogo had missed a third time.

Joey came around behind Gogo and Leon fired. Suddenly, they were being overwhelmed by targets. Leon yelled out numbers giving Gogo their rough direction and distance from him, saying, “They are all heading for the city.”

A missile was fired from very close to the wall and hit the wall, creating a breach. Leon blanketed the area with fire, while yelling, nine, nine, nine. Joey called for backup. Gogo and Leon began firing at every target and hit several. Leon again informed his supervisor that a breach had been made in the city’s wall with the number of the city, two eight seven three, and nine, nine, nine. At first two, then three targets made it into the city. Leon fired while informing his supervisor, “Two oh fifty. Three oh fifty.” Three were inside. Leon lowered the rope, “Coming down.”

“Stay!” Yelled Gogo, as he hung on to the rope. Gogo let go on the inside of the wall and flames. Joey held above the breach. Leon covered the opening against any more diseased entering. Leon laid down another half arc of fire in front of the opening.

Alarms in the city sounded. Gogo found one suspect, a man, almost as he entered the city wall and fired. He felt no relief at hitting the target, knowing two targets remained and also that the houses in the area would be flamed. He hunted. People cowered on the ground in balls. As they had been trained to do. Running people at this point were usually found dead. Shot in the back. Around a corner he fired at a running woman. She went down. Gogo continued to hunt.

Backup arrived. The supervisor said, “All clear. Clean up.” Backup had taken down the third target. Protocol had them now searching every street and house. Each person was being checked for disease. Twenty four hours later the city had been searched, three locations were glowing embers, and with no civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, the sun had set and the moon had not yet risen when Gogo returned to the break in the wall. Ye waited for him among a flock of copters. Leon had lowered the “chair” to half a meter above the ground. A cone of light lit it as it hung, wafting in the chopper’s air currants, waiting. Gogo wanted to search the area. Instead, he sat and fastened himself in. His upper back and shoulders reflected the copters light. Leon raised the chair and gave Gogo a look, asking, “How?”

There were how’s? Gogo wanted answered. How did the diseased plan anything? Where were they getting the missiles? And when did they ever make a breach before? Did they have help from inside? Outside? Help from a normal? How had the diseased evade him? Because he didn’t believe he’d missed.

Leon held a lock box.

Oh.


	2. The Husbands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home life, after Gogo leaves for work.

Red and Crazy shut the door quickly, against the din of the city and watched Gogo leave, out the little window, with their heads up next to each other. Red cradled Crazy with one arm around his thin lithesome waist, his fingers played with the little hairs on his belly. Crazy laughed. Red asked softly, “Why are you laughing?” Crazy was sometimes a little crazy as in laughing where others might cry or complain. Red was patient with Crazy’s not answering immediately.

They began their morning routine. The dirty sheets were roughly folded and shoved into a box. The meal box was removed and the box of sheets set in it’s place. They remade the bed. Red gave Crazy smiles and waited for an answer. They showered together with Red giving Crazy kisses. “Tell me.”

Until finally Crazy, smiling said, “I worry.”

“Tell me.” They kissed, a long deep kiss. Crazy smiled. He laughed.

They set up their meal, reheating some items in the oven. It was a microwave. Neither of them had ever cooked a meal in their life. They’d never seen an electric or gas stove, nor owned a refrigerator. They ate. Red moved his chair to give Crazy a cuddle and patted his head. Crazy looked at the door, not returning Red’s glances. “Tell me.” He kissed Crazy’s still lips.

“What if something happens to Gogo? I love him. And then.” Crazy laughed again. “They’ll kick us out. Where will we live? What will we eat?”

Twenty years and Crazy still had this worry. “You keep doing this. Not so frequently anymore. Here. I don’t have to exercise this early. Come back to bed with me.” Because, sometimes that worked.

“No.” Crazy at least glanced at him.

“I know I’m not Gogo, but.” Red laughed.

Crazy laughed. “I don’t know what to do. When he’s gone.”

“We’ll be reassigned.”

“We won’t be together.” Finally, Crazy returned Red’s look. They had grown to love each other as much as they loved Gogo. They’d been assigned to Gogo. Often they wondered if Gogo had anything to do with choosing them. The affection, trust, and eventually love they had for each other was voluntary.

Red nodded. He knew Crazy was right. What else was there to do? “Realistically, there are few options other than going back to management.” He kissed him again. Crazy’s lips were softer now. What other options did they have? Prostitution? Begging? “Make friends, make friends outside of the force. Live with them.” Red cocked an eyebrow, “Be kept. Or set up a second house. Our own house.”

“How would we do that with no money?”

Crazy had a few friends, while he did not. “With your laughter I’m sure you could find someone.” He kissed Crazy. “With these soft lips of yours. Oh, yeah. You’ll find someone.”

“What will you do?”

“Go back in the system. Hope I’m assigned someone I like.”

“The odds of finding someone like Gogo are zero.”

Red stood, and left Crazy before his expression gave him away. He went into the closet and crammed his fingers into his eyes to keep them from tearing up. He dressed. It was time to brave the crowds and hit the exercise park. Crazy waited at the table. He’d already moved the chairs into the bedroom. Together they moved the table.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Crazy said he didn’t want it. His body said otherwise.

Red offered, “Let’s pack. We’ve done it before. Pack everything you own, as if you’re leaving today. Then when Gogo comes home, we’ll have fun unpacking.”

Red watched Crazy study him, thinking. “Okay.” They took an hour, and had fun, folding Crazy’s clothing neatly into a travel case.

Red sighed and smiled, “So, you’re ready. For anything that comes.”

“Yes.”

“Where will you go?”

“To my friends house. Will you go with me?”

“No, but I will go crazy without you.” Red left to the wonderful sound of Crazy’s other laugh.

___________________________

Crazy attached a barre to the wall and began doing pleis. Then, he had an idea. He carefully fixed his hair and makeup, to match a dress he’d unpacked. The one Gogo liked best. The green silk covered his arms, his chest up to his neck and hung in deep folds almost to his ankles. Barefoot, he began to practice several moves. Back in antiquity some guy, somewhere, saw this type of dancing and seeing for the first time in his life a dancers’ bare torso, described it as “belly dancing”. Crazy was sure it had a different name. 

As Crazy remembered the past his practice evolved into the first dance he’d done for Gogo and Red during their wedding week.

Every day for months, for a year, he’d stood in line, waiting, outside the room Management used for “Spouse” interviews. Usually he never even made it inside. He’d been near the end of a long line of hopefuls. Like everyone else he watched the coming and going of the whining two passenger runabout cars. Green lights on the floor marked off lanes, flipped to yellow and then red, letting the drivers know when to stop and exit to the parking area. In the distance driverless cars, in their own lanes, zipped by at impossibly fast speeds. The domed ceiling with it’s noise dampening ridges kept it from feeling claustrophobic.

Bored, he’d started to dance while staying in his place. A woman appeared. She held out a tablet for him to sign. He did. Without reading it. He was at the mercy of the system? Probably. The line inside exited and everyone outside began leaving. He too, moved to leave.

“Come with me, please.” She led the way, smiling. She was happy the decision had been made within an hour of their opening. She’d have time to have her measurements for clothing taken today. She sent a text as she walked. Inside Crazy had his picture taken, again. He signed more forms, again without reading them, and was taken to a small room.

A woman sat behind a desk. She was a hundred, if she was a day. “Have a seat, please.” Crazy sat. “You’ve been chosen.” Crazy was overwhelmed. He missed most of what she said. “You listed every category for your ideal mate. Which has happened only a few times. I thought it was because you’re willing to do anything to get out of here.” She laughed. Crazy was still a little shocky. “I hope you meant it. Your new husband’s name is Marlon, but it says here no one calls him that. He goes by, “Go go. All one word. So, Gogo. Also, he already has a husband. So, that’ll make you be husband number two. Do you have a problem with any of this?” The door opened and a man, so old he looked like death walking, apologized as he handed her stacks of boxes. She waved behind her. He set the boxes down and left, again apologizing.   


“Where was I? You have two options.” She waited. So, Crazy nodded. “Right. On retainer for two months. If you don’t want to stay for any reason, you can come back. Or permanently and in that case you are given a whole slew of perks. Here is the list.” She handed over the ipad. He scrolled thru the list without reading it. “We really want to make this work for you. We don’t want you to be unhappy.” She waited.

Crazy waited. Who was he marrying?

“Do you have any questions?”

He shook his head.

“Very well then.” She flicked her finger across the device for several minutes. The door opened. “Ah. This is Ka’A Lee.” He’ll take you and again, congratulations. She went back to her device.

Crazy left with Ka’A Lee on a 36 hour trip. First on a two passenger runabout, then they transferred to a train. They ate together in a dining car. Crazy wondered why Ka’A Lee and the rest of the employees at management were all so old, and didn’t ask. He’d learned to just not ask questions. Ka’A Lee eventually broke the silence. “I was chosen to be your companion on this trip because I worked for General Defense, not exactly in the same division as your new husband, but close enough.”

General Defense. Gogo was a soldier? What was the other husband’s name? What was he like? Was he also a dancer? Or a soldier? “Tell me anything you know about the, um, situation.”

“Well. Red is the other husband and Gogo.” He raised his eyebrows. Crazy nodded, yes. “Must be good at his job. For them to allow him to have two spouses. Don’t you think? I do.”

Crazy finished his practice.

Red returned for lunch late in the afternoon. Crazy still wore the dress. Crazy had also set the chairs back and had most of the lunch on the counter. Red helped him move the table and took a shower. Lunch was ready when he came out. “Are you feeling better?”

Crazy nodded.

“Want to go for a walk? Show off your dress. That’s the one Gogo likes. Isn’t it?”

Shyly, Crazy answered, “Yes.” They finished lunch. Crazy gave Red a hug. “You and Gogo are the best ever.” Red smiled and lowered his head for Crazy to muss his wet hair.

“If we go for a walk, the sun’ll dry my hair.”

“It’ll be all spiky.”

In easy companionship they went for a walk. Sometimes arm-in-arm. Sometimes holding hands. Red’s hair did dry spiky and Crazy took off his sandals and walked in the fountain. Rounding the corner they both caught their breaths. Management vehicles were parked in front of Gogo’s. The furniture was being removed. A living fossil held out an IPad. Red took it and read aloud, knowing Crazy could neither read or write anything, except his name. “As of this date, all furnishings will be removed. All persons shall be returned to central staging.” He turned to Crazy. “It has our names on it.”

“Is Gogo’s name on it?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

A six person transport waited for them. Another dead guy held the door open.

Crazy’s voice sounded melodic as he said, “I can’t.”

“I know.”

Crazy’s laughter took over. “He can’t be dead. He can’t. I’m not going.” He looked around at the small crowd that was forming. Management showed up very rarely.

“I know.” Crazy moved away. “Wait! Crazy! Take your box.” Red retrieved it from the moving van. “Here. I. I love you, Crazy.” They paused a second looking at each other over the box.

Crazy laughed again. “I love you.” He ran around the movers and up the street, the sandals in his hand flopping.

Red watched his husband go around the corner, then saw him one last time as he peered around the building at him. Red gritted his teeth and tried unsuccessfully not to cry. He left, alone, with a driver and a skeletor.


	3. Decisions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gogo returns to find Red and Crazy gone.

Gogo evaluated his situation. He retires and continues to work in some hideous underground job. Either fixing meals or laundry, most likely. But, he’d be allowed to keep his husbands. But, they’d also have to work from now on. Tempting. Or he quits and walks away from his husbands. And they’d be reassigned to a new husband or wife. Or he could open an inquiry. He was there. The breach was made. The infected entered the city. How many were either infected or killed? Even if the answer was zero, he knew he’d never be forgiven. He’d have to move to the other side of the planet. The best solution was to leave his husbands to a new life with someone else. He waited until they landed just outside his city. Gogo jumped out, placed his weapons and belt on the ground, then his ID. It was a part of the ritual. I quit and leave behind your property.

Leon placed the weapons in the lock box, scanned the ID, added it to the box and locked it. They looked at each other, knowing this was goodbye. “Good luck.”

Gogo nodded, a little sadly. Two decades and they still had never touched, not even when he’d been injured that one time. He looked into the chopper at Joey. They nodded their goodbyes. Ye and Leon left.

Gogo ran down the dark streets, to his apartment. The lights were off in the little window. The door stayed locked at his knocking. He looked down at the tire tracks in the dust, hoping Red and Crazy were asleep. He knew. Management must have sent someone at the first warning of the breach, to clear out his apartment. The only real question that they needed answered was what to do with his husbands. He was sure they’d been taken someplace. Someplace, secure. He grimaced. Because of his decision to quit they were being reassigned, instead of placed in some hideous underground housing.

He was alone. He’d never see them again. Never watch Crazy dance again. Never see Red hold Crazy above his head with one hand. Never eat with them again. He couldn’t stay here and he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He waited, looking at the ground. The moon rose. Crazy’s bare feet had left prints in the dust. He caught his breath. Crazy did not get into a vehicle. He followed the tracks walking on top of them. Crazy started running. He’d turned the corner and stopped. He must have been hugging the building with one foot up on his toes. Hm. Maybe Crazy was balancing a package or box on one knee? And looking back to see if he was being followed? Halfway down the row of buildings the tracks stopped. Someone had swept the area.

So, Crazy ran. Red went with management. Gogo’s belly clenched, his chest felt like it glowed hot, on fire. He’d never see Red again, of that he was positive. He had to find Crazy. Where was Crazy? And where would they go from there?

An old phrase from long ago, that was a favorite of Crazy’s drifted into his thoughts; how would he keep them in bonbons? Neither he nor anyone he knew had ever tasted chocolate.

He began knocking on doors, “Crazy?” Many doors later, he was admitted. He should have felt awkward, not wearing his badge, but he’d been doing the job for too long. Crazy entered from some sleeping arrangement in the back, looking all sleepy eyed and his sleepiness making him walk crookedly. “Crazy.”

Crazy gasped, suddenly aware Gogo stood in front of him. He ran and jumped into his arms. They swung around as they hugged. Crazy couldn’t take his eyes off Gogo.

“Gogo. What happened? They didn’t tell us. Red thought you must have died.” Crazy started a hiccuping laugh. “He went. He went.”

Gogo wiped Crazy’s tears away from his smiling face. “I know. He went with management. Yeah.” He kissed Crazy’s forehead. “He’ll be reassigned.”

“I couldn’t. I.” Crazy’s blubbering laugh made it impossible to understand him.

The owner of the apartment moved his family away from the two men. The wife shooed the children back to bed.

“Where are we going? Are we going now?”

Gogo had no idea what to do next. The owner said, “You can stay the night. Maybe even tomorrow. However, food will be a problem.”

Gogo checked Crazy again. “Thank you. We’ll leave in the morning.” Crazy laughed. “Show me where you’re sleeping.” Crazy untied his boots and took them off which made the children giggle. Gogo cuddled up next to his husband still in his clothes and they slept.


	4. Solutions.

The family did their morning chit chat while watching the two newcomers. They knew Crazy because their daughter liked him, and she looked for him everytime she was out of the house. They also knew he was married to Red. That the two men were married to a General Defense soldier and not just any soldier, an out and out, Red Tag! Amazing. Didn’t matter to them that he wasn’t wearing his tag, nor to any of their friends or neighbors. They were dying to have their picture taken with him.

Crazy sat and nibbled with the daughter and another child on either side of him. The kids seemed to enjoy watching him eat. They kept sneaking bits of food onto his plate. Crazy never took his eyes off Gogo.

Crazy asked softly, when Gogo stopped thinking, “Can you call anyone?”

Gogo loved Crazy. He’d never told him about the implant. Because, well, because Crazy went a little crazy after they first married. Red said, Crazy had told someone he was married to a Red Tag. After that the whole neighborhood changed. Gogo’s solution was to move to a different city. The only opening available that same day was in the desert. They took it.

Gogo was positive his implant had been turned off, permanently. Most likely his phone was also. But, for Crazy, he took it out and typed in a long string of numbers, from memory. A child answered.

“Please tell you father, Gogo called. Can you write down these numbers?” Gogo and the people around him, waited patiently. “SSCA 494 H01. Can you read them to me?” Gogo listened. “Go run and give this to your father. He will be very happy.” Gogo hung up. Everyone started breathing again.

Instantly, his phone rang. “So, you got your one phone call. Now you’re on the no implant, no phone calls, except in a world wide emergency.” She sighed, “Oh, I love you, Gogo.”

“Me, too.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” They listened to each other breathe. “Crazy is crazy over Red. Red went back in the system.”

“I’ll find out where he ends up. I. Really, Gogo. How will I get the information to you?”

“Do you see where I’m standing?”

She huffed, “Of, course.”

“Tell this family.”

“The Pelliers?”

“Yes.” He’d have to remember that name.

“Okay. That I can do. It might take me a while.”

“Say it again.”

There was another pause, while her eyes glisten, “I love you, Gogo.”

“And I you.”

They disconnected.

_________________________________

The tension fell away from Henrietta’s shoulders. Her friends were now standing behind her reading the conversations on her screen. They knew Gogo had called the very wealthy, Matthew Wayoming. His most likely next employer. Henrietta’s best friend, Ursula, placed a hand on her shoulder, “He didn’t actually say the words.”

“He’s in a room full of people listening to him. Ursula, that’s why he asked me to say it a second time. That was him saying the words to me.”

“You’ll never meet him.”

“Of, course not. He doesn’t know where I am.”

Another friend, Glen, said ruefully, “Why didn’t you cut off his phone yesterday? You were supposed to. You know the rules.”

Ursula declared, “When it happens to you, you be ready for your last phone call.”

He pursed his lips, still caring about Henrietta and returned to his desk. She nodded back at Glen.

“He’s no idea who you are.”

She looked up at her friend. She took her hand in her own, “Of, course not.”

“He’s no idea you’re over eighty.”

“That’s true.”

“You going to help him find his ex?”

With a mischievous look she gave her friend a dimpled smile.

“No. You already know. Where?”

“Remember the paraplegic? His grandfather,” her look became sad and serious, “bought Red.”

“Bought?”

Henrietta nodded.

“Does he know he was bought?”

She shook her head, no.

___________________________________

Meanwhile the six year old ran into his fathers meeting. “Daddy, this is important. A man called for you. His name is Gogo.” Matthew took the piece of paper and held his son on his lap. He handed the paper to his secretary. He had to think for a second, to remember who Gogo was exactly. When he did his smile became a laugh and a hug.

“Thank you for the message.”

“He said you’d be happy.”

“I am.”

________________________________

In the middle of a sofa sat Gogo. Mr. Pellier with his wife, on his right and Crazy on his left. Crazy held the daughter in his lap. The younger son sat next to them. Behind them various sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins surrounded them. Everyone wanted to be in the picture. A neighbor and friend took the picture.

_____________________________  
  


Lonnie was late. Underground, in a residential area she hurried almost noiselessly past doors, first on her right and then on her left, every meter and a half. She placed her hand on a reader and entered a door decorated with a paper wreath and gave her husband a hug and a kiss. Dinner was already waiting on the low table. They sat on pillows on the floor and used chopsticks to eat dirty rice. He reached over and caressed her cheek and smiled. “It’s okay don’t worry about being late.”

She replied with a mischievous smile, “I was topside today.”

He loved her. Her and her stories about work were endlessly entertaining. “You lucky girl.”

“I am. I was out in the sunshine.” She waited while he contemplated that astounding bit of information. “It was surprisingly hot.” She ate her mushrooms with little flakes of green broccoli, drawing out the story. “It was blinding. If you looked towards the sun you had to shut your eyes. It was so bright.” It made everything it touched warm, and sometimes hot. The building and the side of the vehicle, on the outside was burning hot. The air was dry.”

He waited, enjoying her descriptions. “The colors were strange. The dirt. Like a pale orange. And the smells. I don’t know what I was smelling. There seemed to be no plants. I sneezed. Other people sneezed, too.”

Not wanting to interrupt her he said quietly, “Why?”

“Oh! Right! Why were we there? We were cleaning out an apartment. At first it was empty and then two people, a man and another one was dressed like a woman. They came back when we were halfway done. Can you believe it! One of them got in the van.” She nodded, becoming excited. “To go back. The one wearing a dress, ran. Took a box and ran!”

“Wow. They ran. Have you ever known anyone to do that before?”

“No.” She thought for a few moments about what happens to runners. The stories were that they all eventually became diseased.

“Maybe they’ll be okay. Maybe they have friends.”

“I don’t know. I hope so. The group leader kept saying, “Go, go.” Don’t know what that was about. You should have seen this place. It was huge.” She looked around at their place. She looked behind him at the bed folded up against the wall. “See how we have our bed on the wall? Like everyone, right?”

“Right. Their’s wasn’t on the wall.”

“No.”

“Where was it?” He glanced the four meters up at the ceiling.

“Their’s was on the floor. I mean it was standing on the floor! The legs didn’t fold. You could walk around it on three sides. We had the guys help us pick it up and carry it out. The mattress sat on another stiff mattress.” She shook her head, confused. “I don’t even know what that was about. Our whole apartment was half the size of the dining room. The, she did finger quotes, “bedroom” was three, no four times as big as our whole place. And they had a complete bathroom, with a tub! It was amazing. A tub. At first I thought it was a fountain or a pond or something. You fill it with water and get inside. We both could have been inside it at the same time.”

“That’s. That’s unbelievable.”

“Then, there was another room.”

He blinked with his mouth open. “Another room?”

“I know.”

“What was in it?”

“Stuff. Clothes.” She reached over and hung onto his arms. “They had a bar with clothes hanging down! Nothing was folded. One section was white clothing. White shirts and pants! One of them was obviously tagged. I don’t know what color. But, considering the hugeness of the place and all the stuff, they were probably a red tag. Can you imagine?”

He laughed. “Do you think that is how all red tags live?”

“Maybe. I hope that’s not how a white tag lives. The most amazing thing. The craziest thing. They’re above ground. Yeah. One window. It was about the width of my two hands.” She held up her hands, fingers spread. “And just a little bit taller. Oh, oh, oh, their delivery box! It was three times as tall as ours and wider.”

They looked at their own box. Wide enough for two meals and tall enough for two more. “It could of held twenty meals.” They laughed nervously.

”Maybe they have parties?”

”A red tag, having a party? No way.”

”Maybe they use it to escape?”

They ate the rest of their meal guessing what the box was made to hold.


	5. Leaving.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gogo and Crazy leave the city.

The Pelliers walked Gogo and Crazy toward the closest city gate. They passed near the food stalls. A vendor came up to them holding out two sticks of cooked meat. “No. Thank you.” Gogo replied.

“Please take it.”

“I have no money to pay you. I am no longer working.”

The vendor pressed the sticks into their hands. “Yes, yes. You must.”

“All these years I ate your food without ever paying.”

The man bowed, “Management always paid for your meals. You gave me more than you can ever know.”

“What did I give you?”

The man looked around and waved towards the stalls, “Do you see any others selling this type of food? You always ate mine. Once, I moved my stall and you walked until you found me.” He placed a hand on his head. “Can you believe it. My food. You always chose my food.” He gave a shrug. “The other food stalls moved away. This is to say thank you.”

“Thank you.” Gogo continued toward to gate while eating the meat. It had been such a part of his routine he didn’t notice the child taking the spike of metal from him when he was done. Nor did he ever learn that the vendor hung it on his wall.

The growing entourage watched as the couple passed through the electrified fencing and looked back at them. The crowd had grown to include most of the people from the fountain and the marketplace. They were quiet and barely speaking, not wanting to attract the diseased. Crazy blew the Pellier’s daughter a kiss. Spontaneously, the group picked up on the goodbye and began blowing kisses in return. Until finally, Gogo smiled and blew a kiss back. Everyone was beaming and happy watching the two walk around the corner and out into no man’s land.

As they stepped away Gogo was surprised to hear the outgoing message. He’d assumed his intercom had been turned off against all communications. He listened to the usual message of the weather, incoming storms and wind. In the past, oh yeah, in the past when he worked, the weather often changed his hunting plans. Today was clear and hot, with little wind expected. The message also included if any diseased had been spotted in the area and other breaking news. One diseased, three kilometers to their east had been picked up by the cities cameras.

He wanted to talk to Crazy about what to do if one of the loons showed up. But, Crazy was on a high, from the goodbye most likely. And she’d done her clothes and makeup as a female the last two days. He didn’t want to shake her positive mien. Since she still held the meat he decided she was maybe afraid to eat in public. He took a piece off and fed her. She licked his fingers. They walked ten minutes, which Gogo usually did in five, to the landing site. A single light pole stood nearby with five cameras covering the area.

He placed the empty food stick in Crazy’s case. They waited. 

Crazy sat and watched Gogo pace. 

Finally, Gogo spotted the death carrier and then a second one. He picked out several rocks, for throwing and returned to Crazy’s side. He knelt down. In a mumble he said, “Roll up in a ball.” Ah! She was instantly worried. “Don’t worry. Be in a ball and you’ll be fine.”

“Why?”

He was confused.

“Why does being in a ball make me safe?”

“Oh, Crazy.” He loved her. The schools sometimes were a let down. “Because they, the diseased almost never attack someone on the ground, rolled up in a ball.” He was a civilian. He could do the same, flashed across his thoughts. Nah. It wasn’t in his nature.

“Why?”

He checked the area again and returned to her.

“Maybe because they think you are a rock or not a human. Or dead. They say the reason they come to the cities is to find a human being who will help them. I don’t know what they expect us to do? Feed them? Take care of them? I don’t think anyone knows exactly what they want.” One walked past them, about three meters behind Crazy. Gogo watched and looked for more. Crazy inhaled as if about to say something. Gogo poofed out his lips in a shush manner.

Crazy tucked her head closer to the ground. The second went by in front of her, a scant meter away. She shut her eyes, and prayed. Minutes went by. They seemed to be gone when Gogo slowly rose up. Crazy heard Gogo’s huh as he threw the rocks. He left her.

She felt heavy, dead and prayed again. What could she do if he didn’t return? She looked at the ground in front of her face. She knew almost nothing about the diseased. How they came to be that way. She remembered being told that they sometimes stank. Really reeked. And to never touch one. If they ever touched you, you’d get it and become just like them, a living zombie.

Gogo threw his rocks, first at the closer one. When he dropped, Gogo hit the one farther away. He checked the area again. He checked the prone bodies and dropped large rocks, lobbing them from a distance, on their necks. He was about to leave when one of them twitched. He didn’t have a Leon to back him up. Using fresh rocks he dropped them on their four ankles.

He heard the two choppers. One was Defense and the other was a private helicopter painted green and gold. It had four blades, two in front and two in back. Wayoming always used the best. They were here so quickly, they must be out of Phoenix. They were circling. Checking the area. He gave the pilot a thumbs up and they began their descent. He ran to Crazy.

She heard the strange low pitched whine of a four propeller helicopter. It grew closer and flew a circle around her. It hovered and landed. Gogo was helping her up. Staying low, almost crawling they went to the helicopter and a man helped her inside. Another brought her travel case. Gogo sat beside her. They faced the rear of the craft. She looked out a side window, then at the man across from her. He held out helmets. Gogo took them from him. He wore one and fixed the second helmet on her head.

“Go up. Yesterday. They used missiles. Twice at the chopper and then the wall. They are poorly made. The breach was twice a man’s height and twice as wide.” Gogo switched fregencies, “Hi.”

“Hi.” She gave him a sheepish smile and snuggled into him.

Gogo watched out the window and caught a glimpse of Leon preparing to drop to the ground. He waved. Gogo put his hand up to the window in reply. He and the private company watched a repeat of yesterday occurring at a different gate. With one difference. The entire wall had the guards on top flaming the perimeter. He switched his frequency back, “Somebody took notes.”

The man across from him asked, “Do you think they will hold accountable your replacement?”

Gogo took a deep breath, thinking and shut his eyes. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t ready to go back in. Regardless of what they’d offer. He checked on his husband. He ruefully realized he did have a problem switching pronouns. Either way, Crazy and he loved each other.

They changed directions and Crazy vomited. The crew was ready for it. They were ready for Gogo and Crazy. They wore hazmat suits with dedicated air. No part of their bodies were going to be touched by the newcomers.

They flew to Denver. Mass transit here we come, thought Gogo. It may have been mass, but Wayoming had the helicopter deliver them directly to a private car.

Crazy looked at the sofa and dining table, then opened a locker type door. It was filled with food. She felt inside. “It’s cold.” Her serious expression flipped to a smile, “How long is the trip?”

“Couple of days. Crazy, when we do arrive we’ll be taken into quarantine. Most likely three weeks. Maybe two. Wayoming is a careful man. We may do the quarantine in this car.” She stood and he hugged her and kissed her forehead. “There is a shower.” She hugged him and played with his hair.

With a serious expression she asked, “I wonder how comfortable that is?”

Gogo followed her gaze to the sofa, then looked back at Crazy. He crammed his lips together, trying to not smile. “There is probably a bed. In the bedroom.”

“Let’s go look.” They headed to the doors in back. Gogo knew she was happy. All he had to do now was find Red and learn his new job.


	6. Managing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gogo talks with a therapist. Learns more about Red’s whereabouts and chats with Crazy.

Being with Crazy was always, well, not last night and it was the longest night of the year and it felt like it. She was like a stranger. Gogo sat on the edge of the bed pondering in the darkness. For anyone else, he’d say she was angry. It was the lack of eye contact and he felt a little used. She was like an animal. And not in a fun way. Business like. She didn’t speak.

He called management. They asked him his ID number and a few yes or no questions, then had him talk to a therapist.

“Good morning, Gogo.” Her voice was melodic.

“Hello.”

“I’ve been assigned to you because I was tagged once. A long time ago. I finished out the first two months and transferred. Let’s see what’s what. You no longer work for General Defense as of, ah, two day’s ago. You quit and no longer have clearance. This must be stressful. Tell me what happened.” She waited and in the silence she added, “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

He sighed. “I’m fine. The reason I’m calling is because of my,” he paused wanting to get the pronoun right, “husband.”

“I see. Red is back in the system and,” she paused.

“Crazy is with me. And they say if someone is suddenly different, to call you right away. Don’t wait.”

“That’s very good advice. Thank you for following it.” She said without thinking about what she was saying, since she was looking into the three men’s back history. “Tell me about what happened that was different from the normal routine.”

“Little things. It started when I left my job. Crazy kisses differently, hold’s my hand, differently. Um, and looks at me. I feel confused. And taking over when we’re, uh, in bed. It’s not bad. Just is different.”

The longer they talked Gogo realized the long list of stresses Crazy was experiencing. Management showed up unannounced and took away her housing. She was separated from Red. They did not tell her any information concerning himself. Was he even alive? Crazy then left her house, alone. She experienced one of the diseased people at close quarters and witnessed two of them being killed. She was now on a train and doesn’t know where she is going.

“Do you know where Red is?”

She let the question hang for a bit, “Why?”

“Crazy loves Red. So do I. I think it might help her to speak with him.”

The therapist was acutely aware of the pronoun change and made a note.

“Illinois.”

“Why would he be there?”

“The situation has not been finalized. So, I can take a look. The records are still open. Once it’s finalized, they will be sealed. I see here he’s being transferred to the Illinois station. He is to be outfitted for clothing. And, ah, this code means he’s to leave everything behind. And this code is new to me.” There was a pause. “Ah. Well. Um. Hm. Because of your previous employment I’m thinking you are quite adept at tracking down Red. Is that a fair statement?”

“Yes.”

“So. I’ll tell you. You’ll find out anyway. If you find out on your own, you might be quite upset. So, I’ll tell you.”

“Thank you.”

“He’s been bought. For actual coin. Two hundred coins. Unheard of. I know there are some wealthy people who have access to actual coins. I’ve never met any.” She mused more to herself, “Who knows how much the individual coins are worth?”

“Why Red? What do they want him for? They couldn’t want him for illegal reasons could they?”

She quietly explained, as if she was still reading, “No. Of course not. Ah. The transaction is going through a health firm and some lawyers are listed. Quite a few lawyers actually. There isn’t any other reasons, here, why they want Red. Specifically. I can take a guess.”

“Please.”

“Well. The health firm never purchases people. Usually they transfer people to someone who has health problems. For example. You live alone and are ill. You may be assigned someone to administer your drugs and maybe cook and clean for you until you are healthy again. To purchase someone is very rare. They must be wanting someone for many decades or even a lifetime. Red might not even be aware of the situation. Strange Red has no medical training. Why would they want him? Oh. Oh. And just like that. The record has been sealed. Now Red’s record says he lives in a home in Chicago and any further information will have to go through channels. Starting with the Illinois office.”

Gogo thanked her and went back to bed, thinking about Red and the therapist’s advice. His constantly reassuring Crazy wasn’t the best tact. Instead, listen to her talk about the last few days, but without asking any questions. The therapist suggested they talk about when they first met and any significant events throughout the years. Especially happy events. If she worsened she most likely would have to visit a hospital and possibly be put on drugs.

Crazy rolled over. She was awake. He grinned at her. “Did you hear my phone call?”

“Some.”

“I called medical. They said we should talk.”

“Talk.” Her eyes narrowed. “All that was them saying we should talk?”

He couldn’t keep the giggle out of his voice, “Yes.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Un uh. I think we are supposed to play and laugh.” Crazy looked blank. Somehow wrong. “Are you angry?”

“No.” She looked away, sighed, and looked back at him. “Yes.”

Gogo moved closer to her. He tried to not smile. “I think we are supposed to remember the past.” He shrugged. “By talking about it. She suggested we talk about how we first met.”

“I remember. Ka A something he took me to your old apartment. You opened the door. I didn’t know if you were you or Red.” She fiddled with her hair. “Eventually he left. I thought Red was like Hercules.”

“He is really built. Isn’t he?” A smiled flashed across Crazy’s lips and was gone. “What did you think of me?” She quietly looked at the ceiling. He waited. “I can’t believe we’ve never talked about it before.”

Then Crazy looked at him. “I thought you were beautiful.” Emotions welled up in Gogo’s chest. They were going to be okay. They exchanged a soft wet kiss. Gogo’s lips llgered over Crazy’s.

“You did?” His words came out low and husky.

“Gogo, I love you. I love Red, too. I miss you when you go to work.” They enjoyed looking at each other in the twilight of the sun rising.

“No worries about that for a while.” Absently his hand came up to her face. He moved it back, he didn’t want to distract her.

“I wish Red was here.”

“Me, too.”

“Gogo?”

“Yes?”

“Before you married what did you do?”

He thought for a moment and laid on his back. “We’ve been married almost eleven years. Before, then, I was married to Red. When I got my red tag, they ask you what you want. And Red and I talked about it and decided we wanted to marry you. Before that I was a blue tag for seven years. And before that I was a white for three years. No, four years. No, three and a half years.”

“What’s the difference between the colors?”

“We are not really supposed to talk about it. But, basically it means how many people you work with. Whites are with four or five other people, every time, you go out. Blues are two or three and reds are solo.”

“Are you going to get in trouble for telling me?”

“No, my love. It’s common knowledge. Anyone watching us leave for the no man’s lands can easily see for themselves.”

She leaned up against him and played with the hair on his chest. “What did you do before you married Red?”

“I was such a failure at love. My love life was like a glass poured out on the sand.” He laughed. “Oh, Crazy. I hate to tell you.” He kept laughing. Crazy relaxed. “I had boyfriends. I don’t remember their names! Their names are just gone.” He kissed her. “I know we’re supposed to be talking. Um. Funny thing. I always thought it was forever. With each one of them. I’d wake up in the morning surprised they were gone. Gradually I guess, or at least I thought, I was making better choices and we stayed together six months or a year or so. And then I lived with a man I loved and I talked about getting married. Wow, his name I remember. And he didn’t want to. We argued several times and then we left each other. And then there was the last boyfriend I had. That was a disaster.” Gogo lost his excitement and he sobered up. “I got up and got ready for work. I was a blue, then. And I looked for my pistols and one was gone. I couldn’t find it and I couldn’t leave without it. So, I wake him up. And he’s not answering me.”

“You look sad.”

“I am. I had to call management. My pistol is gone. They sent some police over. They were there too fast.” He shook his head. “They arrested him.” He thought over the past, for a few minutes.

“Did you think they were wrong to arrest him?”

“No. They showed me several film clips, of my door. He had people in and out of my apartment all day. One clip had so many people, I went back to the beginning and counted. I stopped counting at thirty.”

“What were they doing?”

“Some came, believe it or not, to sleep in my bed. They showed up, slept and left. And paid for the privilege. Others, the police think, were having their pictures taken wearing my uniforms. For fake ID’s. Or vanity pictures. And I think he might have been doing drugs. It was horrible. And he sold my pistol and some of my shirts and things. I thought they were lost in the laundry. The police were coming to arrest him when I called. His shit almost cost me my job.”

“He didn’t help you get ready in the morning?”

“Never. After that management sent some one over.” His eyes widened. “They said they were very good at matching people up with a spouse. If that was what I wanted. And they found Red. And then they found you. And I’m glad they did.”

“They just said be with this person and you did?”

“No, sorry. They give you a list of maybe a hundred people and you choose.” His eyes lit up. “We were watching the cameras and we saw you dancing and that was when we knew. It had to be you.” He kissed her again.

Gogo sat up. “Are you thirsty? Do you want some breakfast? Breakfast in bed?”

Crazy looked sad or worried.

“So, Crazy is that a yes?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.” Gogo left and returned with two identical plates. “I don’t know what this is. Smells good.”

“Are you teasing?”

“Nope.”

“These are eggs.”

“They are? I like them.”

“They are expensive.”

“I can see why. They are good. They are wonderful. I could eat these every day.”

“Except.”

He tried to figure out what Crazy was thinking. “Except what?”

“They are never served on a stick.”

Finally, they were back to how they used to be three days ago.


	7. Crazy.

Crazy followed her morning routine. She finished by doing dance moves lightly touching the wall. The train floated smoothly along on its magnets. Gogo used the train’s phone to call friends. Some did not remember him. He moved on.

Crazy took a break or finished, so Gogo looked up at her, “I have some news about Red.” She came to him and stood behind him tousling his hair. She was too keyed up to look at him directly. “Red is definitely in Chicago. He’s in a house, according to management and that can mean almost anywhere there’s a household. I had thought to place a request for him. But, he’s already spoken for.” That hung there for a moment. “It was so fast.” He stood up and paced. “Too fast.”

Thinking, Gogo looked out the narrow window that ran the perimeter of the car. It was two hand width’s tall with heavy bars every two hand widths. Nobody was breaking in without a blow torch. From the outside, the bottom edge of the window was three meters from the ground. It was fairly standard construction for a train. The tracks were taking them into an area of trees and different types of orchards. Gogo looked at the date trees that grew in orderly rows, ever the hunter, he spotted diseased twice, each time he was acutely aware he no longer had his guns. The miles sped past. He wondered if he should have pointed them out to Crazy.

“It was too fast, Crazy. Almost as if, as soon as I quit, someone placed a request for him.” He sat and he and Crazy studied each other. “Why Red? She said the Health Firm requested him. Why? He has no medical training.” He stood and stared out the window again, his eyes unconsciously tracking another sicko. Were there too many near the train tracks?

Crazy held still watching Gogo think. Chicago. Chicago was a dangerous place. Unless you were in one of the multi-storied buildings with the bottom three or four floors manned by your own private security force. Is that where they were going? To guard some building or a wealthy family?

He turned to her and held her shoulders, “I think all this might have happened to get Red.”

Crazy’s mouth went dry. She swallowed.

He sat again. “Everything. My apparently missing. I still don’t believe I did. The use of missiles.” He kept thinking over the missile headed for the quad-copter, right before Leon shot at it, it changed direction. “Rockets explode in the air, on contact, or gravity takes over and they fall to the ground. This one’s flight curved towards Leon.” Curtly, he shook his head. “The diseased have never shown any ability to make anything. So, where did they get it?” He stood and studied Crazy. “I think it’s very good, that you ran. Thank you. You must have been very frightened.” He held her again. She nodded and let him hold her. Maybe someone wanted to take Red from me. If so, did they also want Crazy? Why? In a flash he thought over his life. Nothing came to mind. Not even a hint. Which led him to wondering why would someone want him single?

Crazy moved away from him, heading towards the bedroom, and shook involuntarily. She collapsed. “Hey, hey, Crazy. You’re okay.” He picked her up off the floor, like she weighed nothing, and put her in bed. He tucked in the covers around her. “Let me get you something warm to drink.” She shook her head, no. He brought her something, anyway.

She smiled and said softly, “I never told you why.”

He watched her drink and took the cup from her. He loved her. Everything about her. Her looks. Her expressions that never seemed to match what she was thinking. Her way of talking. She didn’t seem to know her way of being kept him level headed. And now these last few days were too much for her. He remembered the best thing the therapist said he should do was listen. “Why, what? Crazy my love? You can tell me anything.” She didn’t reply. “You can tell me anything, because nothing will change my love for you.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I will never leave you.”

“Why my name is Crazy.”

He tried to keep back the smile and failed. “Why is your name Crazy?”

She took a fluttering inhale and began. “I was little.” He nodded. “My parents were always fighting. You know that, yelling without being loud because you don’t want the other’s to hear?” Again he nodded, looking at her intently. “We lived,” she looked around, “above ground. But, outside a city.”

“Ah.” He knew. The always having to be quiet to not attract the diseased.

“And I screamed. I just wanted them to stop yelling. I wanted them to be happy. And my, my father hit me. He slapped me.” Gogo’s smile faded. His mouth became a thin horizontal line. “I hit the wall and fell. He, he leaned over me. He said, “Shut up! You’re not my child, you Crazy Bitch. Crazy Bitch, we’re not your parents.” He pointed at my mother. “She said she wanted a child. Bitch, bitch, bitch all day and all night, So, I got her a child. And now she doesn’t want it. Now, she whines, but I wanted a girl.” From then on, it was just a few days, they called me Crazy Bitch, everytime they talked to me. “Crazy Bitch get in here! It’s time to eat. And, and we don’t even know the name your parents gave you. Because you’ve never told us, you Crazy Bitch. We don’t know your birthday, where you’re from, nothing.”

Crazy was tearing up and Gogo ran his hands up and down her arms. Softly he asked, “Do you know their names?”

She shook her head, “No. I, I left a few days later. The alarm sounded and everyone was inside. Yeah? Locking themselves in.” For once, Crazy’s expression matched her anxiety. “Before he locked the door he pushed me out and threw a rock at me. He shut the door and I heard it lock. I yelled and cried for him to open the door. And then I saw someone. They came at me and I ran. I ran and ran. I ran.”

She cried like a child. Gogo leaned forward and hugged her. When she stopped, she hiccuped and tapped his shoulder.

”Someone. At first they thought I was diseased. And I rolled up in a ball. They stopped their truck and picked me up and threw me in the back and jumped back in and drove me away from there. We drove for days. The family fed me. And they asked me my name and I just forgot it. I couldn’t remember. We ended up in a city. And then I was taken to a city inside. I didn’t realize I was underground at first. I was with children. A boy asked me if I knew how to read or write.” She shrugged. “He asked me my name. I said, “Crazy.” He asked my my last name and I said, “Bitch”, I knew they were bad words. I didn’t know their meaning. He said, “Here, I’ll teach you how to write your name. And he did.”

“And that’s how you got your name?”

“Yeah, Crazy Beautiful.”

”I love you, Crazy. Today and always. Don’t you worry, we will get Red back. Even if we have to pay.”


	8. Red escapes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red incarcerated, escapes and is picked up by truckers and eventually a Red Tag and his crew.

Red was going nuts. He was angry. He didn’t want to be in this situation any longer and he kept thinking, what would Gogo do? He laughed and suddenly understood Crazy a little better.

He paced the room. It seemed like a hotel room, but with the all white decor, linoleum flooring, and with none of the extras usually found in a hotel, it felt like a prison.He’d taken a few vacations with Crazy and Gogo. They’d stayed in hotels, but they were all better than this. First there was no window! No window? No video screen! No microwave!

He knew it was a prison when a little mousy guy and two armed guards all in hazmats brought him breakfast and lunch. A different guy, a taller guy, again with guards and in hazmats brought him dinner every day.

Early, during the first morning, how would he know what time?, they’d taken his phone. Red laid on the simple cot and daydreamed about the trip to this room. He’d been driven hours from Gogo’s to a management location. When he arrived they gave him a room to use. He’d taken a shower. Why not? Everything seemed normal at that point. Not so normal was when he got out and found his clothes had been swapped out for this red tee shirt and tan slacks. He’d looked around for his shoes. Out in the hallway was a man with boxes on a cart. First, he put away his device, then he talked nonstop. Probably to keep from answering any questions. “Shoes should be tried on for their fit.” He wheeled the cart in prattling on about sizes, styles and heels and toes and on and on and ended with, “Don’t you think?” The first pair fit. “Here we go.” He led the way, still pushing the cart and talking about shoes and led him to a vehicle, waiting for him in the garage.

How the shoes fit was fine. The problem was they were white. He’d looked at himself in the mirror and decided this was a uniform.

On the train ride he was given a private room. Everything was normal again. A porter brought him his meals, giving him a menu to choose his food. Normal. When they arrived he rode in a military vehicle. Not so normal. Underground they took him up an elevator, down a few halls, opened the door and he’d walked right in. Like a complete fool.

He didn’t know where he was, nor why? His pleas went on deaf ears. He stopped asking the few people he saw and started to imagine he was talking to Gogo. Gogo would get a weapon. That thought hung there for a while. Gogo was a killer. He wasn’t.

He dismantled part of the bed. Breakfast arrived. He ignored them. They ignored his pleas, so he ignored their questions. Red continued working on the bed until the mattress was on the floor. Taking a small strut he scratched lines on the wall. He tried to make pictures of Gogo and Crazy. Red wasn’t an artist.

The mousy guy and his two goons brought him his lunch. His voice mechanical sounding from the suit, he ordered, “Don’t do that.” Red ignored him. The mouse repeated himself.

Red turned away from the drawing, still holding the rod in his hand, “Where am I?” The three men left. Red finished taking every screw apart on the bed.

He was laying on the mattress, on the floor dreaming of Gogo and Crazy when dinner arrived. The tall guy looked at the drawing and shook his head. Red shouted at them as they left, “Oh, is it too poorly drawn for you?” He jumped up and thought of Gogo explaining the most obvious, “Use your strength. Dig your way out.” He moved the mattress and began hitting the linoleum with the longer strut and broke through the floor. It was dark down below. He enlarged the hole, peered in and dropped a leg of the bed. It hit and clanged within a second. “Ah.” Red smiled. Maybe it was a crawl space between floors? He rearranged the bed above him and lowered one strut. Placing the second strut over the hole he lowered himself and dropped, the mattress flopped over covering the hole.

Red landed and took several deep breaths with his eyes shut. Still crouched he willed himself to be calm. He finally calmed down when he realized he was in a safe place. There were no diseased here. He opened his eyes, rotated, and saw a light in the distance. He reoriented himself. He’d thought the back wall of the room was towards the outside wall. It wasn’t. Holding the rod in front of himself he made his way to the light. He heard water gurgling from someone flushing a toilet. He reached the elevator with it’s security light. On the other side was a door. Unbelievable. It must be a maintenance door. He pressed his ear to the wall and listened to the elevators moving up and down. Every time they stopped he started counting. Over and over again he restarted his count. He reached higher numbers, in the thousands, and then 12,000. He pushed the button. He jumped back as the doors opened. No one came out. His pulse was racing as he looked in. The elevator was empty. He entered. He looked at the buttons for each floor. Oops, which floor should he go to? The bottom three were labeled S1, S2, and S3. They were ringed in red. He pushed S1.

The doors opened into to a garage. Cautiously Red moved around and waited. In the distance a guard was walking his rounds. Red went around the elevator and headed, slowly, hiding behind vehicles, for a red exit sign on the far wall. Was the guard watching for intruders coming in? And not for someone leaving? He never saw a second guard. A ramp led up to a massive door. Next to it was a few steps leading to a pedestrian door with warning signs on it. He didn’t take the time to read them and opened it. An alarm sounded.

Red took off running into the night.

The air was thick with water that condensed on everything it touched. The road was paved and slick. Red stayed to the middle of the street. He remembered some of Gogo’s lessons. At night the diseased hunker down in a crevice, finding a place to hide or keep warm? He heard vehicles behind him and abruptly turned down a darker street. Several turns later he reached a park of trees. In the dark the leaves gently wafted against each other. Should he hide here, knowing the diseased most likely hid here also? A vehicle’s lights flashed as it turned towards him. He stood behind a tree, moving to keep the tree between him and the vehicle’s searchlight. He cringed, several pairs of eyes reflected in the light. Most were off to his right. He shut his eyes and waited. He opened his eyes and a diseased stood in front of him, arms reaching for him. Without thinking he jabbed the bed frame into his face and ran.

Until dawn Red ran. He hid from people and vehicles, until he saw an old truck that had been modified, maybe more than once. He stepped out and curled into a ball. The truck stopped and the driver looked at him. Red stood and stepped cautiously towards the driver’s window, “I need a ride.”

“Figures. Get in the back.” Red climbed in. The driver flicked the door lock and continued on his trip. “Where are you going?”

Red pushed a button on the intercom, “I’m looking for my family.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Thanks.”  
  


“Tell me their names.” Red told him Gogo’s name. “It says here he works for someone named Wayoming. On the east coast, in the Appalachian mountains. Looks like it’d be easier to reach by helicopter.” When the driver didn’t say anything else for a while, Red laid down and slept.

Red woke to the intercom buzzing him. “Dude. This is a stop. I’m turning here. You should get out. Hey, there is only one Wayoming I know of and he lives in the same area where your friend is working. So, maybe he’s working for one of his relatives?”

“Thank you. Thank you for the safe passage.”

“You’re welcome. See that blue truck. Try them.” Red got out.

The driver read the warning, with a photo of Red, on his phone. “Armed and dangerous, my eye.” He texted his friend in the blue truck. “He’s coming, see him?”

“Yes. Why do you want me to help him?”

“He escaped one of those high rises.”

“Oh. Will do. Where does he want to go?”

“Appalachia.”

The driver of the blue truck watched the young man headed for him. He started his truck and nodded to him. He lowered his window. “Does that have blood on it?”

Red nodded. The driver thought about it. “Keep the bloody end sticking out the window.” Red climbed in the back seat, taking care to keep the end of the rod out the window. They drove until they reached trees. “Toss it.” Red got out and heaved it into the trees. Diseased stood up. Red jumped back in and they took off.

The driver rather enjoyed watching Red heave the pike. He was quite the athlete. “See the box on the floor? New clothes for you.”

Red smiled. They were old. He changed. “Lose the underwear. The sox and shoes.” He turned onto a dirt road. “Start tossing them out.”

Red smiled. These two old guys were pretty smart. The ground was flat and level. Easy for scavengers to find the “uniform” from his captors.

“What’s your name?”

“Red.”

“Yeah. If I were you I’d dye my hair and change my name.” They got back on the interstate and drove for an hour. “I know a place. Bout an hour away. I have a razor, you can shave off your hair.” He looked back at Red, “and your face.” They drove. “I have food.” He passed it back through a slot in the glass.

Red found the razor. “Thank you.” He wanted to ask why these two men were helping him and decided to not push his luck. He pocketed the razor and ate.

Suddenly the driver yelled, “Get out! Pass me the food box. Jump. I’m not stopping. Don’t follow me.”

Red shoved the box in the slot and jumped out. He fell. Staying low he did his best to merge into the plants off the side of the road. He was again trying to still his heartbeat. He heard and saw the lights of a police car. The truck stopped with a grinding of gears and brakes.

Red did his best to become one with the dirt. He heard gunshots and refused to look up, thinking the driver had been killed. He heard the truck start up, idled a while and drove away.He heard another shot. Diseased must be in the area. Eventually the police left. Red waited so long, he grew bored and started trying to use the razor on his scalp. A General Defense copter made its way towards him. He cured into a ball. Red had that eerie feeling he was being watched. He looked up. A Red Tag calmly watched him and the area at the same time. He was as calm and badassed as Gogo. 

“Name?”

This was it. He was going to be dragged back to his prison and he couldn’t bring himself to lie. A Red Tag never had to explain a kill. “Red.”

The soldier put two fingers up to his shoulder and curled them, in a come here move. The copter moved near. Red Tag had all four fingers bend downwards. A chair with a wide base was lowered. He huffed, waiting for Red. 

Red got in the chair, “Thank you.”

“You say that now.” Red worried as he rose up in the air. He watched the Red Tag head for the diseased. Aboard, Red was interested and avidly watched the interaction between the three men. The one in back, manning a large gun on a stand, looked back at him, grinned, and raised his eyebrows.

Red had to yell over the sound of the engine. “I have never gotten to see Gogo working. He’s my husband.” The man stared, then went back to work. The pilot looked back at Red. Well, maybe they know Gogo.

They did. The pilot checked. Yep, Gogo was the guy who was always in the top four. He let the Red Tag and his gunner know. Red Tag clenched his hand into a ball. They were going to protect Red.


	9. Red and Arty

The gunner disembarked and walked Red into the city. Red wondered where ‘the Red’ was. He espied him eating in the market. The gunner kept them in the shade, his eyes never stopped watching. “Here we go.” They watched the Red Tag pull out his firearm and drop his food. Half a dozen people dropped to the ground, curled up in balls. A small child retrieved the stick and returned it to his father.

“That is very intimidating.”

“What is?”

“That long pistol. They all use long ones, don’t they?”

“Yes.” Most of the people got up, leaving two boys still curled up. A woman off to the side held her hands in front of her chest. They trembled and she looked distraught. “The longer the barrel the more accurate the shot.” The Red Tag heaved one of the boys by an arm up on his feet. Red thought he looked like he was about to bite his neck. “The barrels I use are eighteen decimeters long. Your husband, he didn’t tell you a whole lot about his job, did he?”

“No.”

“Maybe Arty doesn’t tell his wife anything either.”

A wave of affront wafted over Red. “Arty?”

He grinned. “Actually, it’s Archibald.” Arty was following the young man out of the square. His friend stayed put on the ground. The mother went up to him. Obviously talking to him. Red looked around. Everyone was staying and watching. The vendors were doing a brisk trade. “This is because we are new to the city. Kids always want to push the limits.”

“Kids?”

“Yeah, those two are about fifteen, sixteen.”

“What did they do?” The gunner shrugged. Arty returned, followed by several men. Who surrounded the boy on the ground. Arty was again eating, which surprised Red. The men left with the boy and the mother trailing them. Arty left the area.

“Come on.” They took a different route to Arty’s place. As they walked, they talked. “You don’t know anything about your husband’s business, do you.”

“Apparently, not.”

“Do you know that your husband’s hand print will open every door in his city?” From Red’s open mouth expression, he didn’t. Gunner laughed. He was quite enjoying himself. “At least up until he quit.”

Red stopped. “Gogo quit?”

Really, Red didn’t know this? “Ah, yes. He did.”

“Why did he quit?”

“That is something I would very much like to know.” They reached Arty’s abode. “Here we are. By quitting he gave his spouses their freedom.”

“What freedom? I was taken away and held prisoner.”

The gunner’s eyes narrowed, his lower lip rose. “Who? Who held you prisoner?”

“I don’t know.”

Gunner pulled out his device and typed rapidly, occasionally swiping the screen. “I don’t have access to your records. Maybe Arty does.” He rapped on the door. Gunner left, smiling.

Red noticed Arty had already put his weapons away. He continued to undress. “You can take a bath, after me, if you want.” He entered the bathroom.

“Thank you. I would like to get cleaned up.” Why was he so nervous? Left alone he wandered around the apartment. It was the same layout as Gogo’s. He looked back and forth. The rooms were all a bit smaller. And just one bed. He wondered how soon the wife arrived. There was no sofa, where was he to sleep? Red’s whole demeanor slumped. The wife was not going to show up and Arty wanted to sleep with him. That was the price of his rescue. Did Arty want him because he was a man or because he was Gogo’s spouse?

He used the tub after Arty, still musing to himself. Maybe Arty wanted a second spouse and the wife said, no, that’s not going to happen. He smiled. He loved Crazy and missed her.

He dressed and returned to Arty. A plate of food waited for him on the table. “This is my wife’s dinner. You can have it. It’s okay. She’s staying with her sister.”

Nailed it. He sat and ate. Arty joined him and drank, something, maybe tea. “Do you have access to my records?”

“I should.” He typed and swiped the screen. He nodded as he spoke. “Gogo has two spouses. Red and Crazy. Unusual name. Crazy is rather beautiful. He quit his job. And has taken a new one with a company.” He swiped several times. “It’s not a company, he’s working for Matthew Wayoming. Who is located in a mountain top retreat on the east coast. Ah. Crazy is with him and they are currently in isolation.” He looked up at Red. “To make sure they are not diseased, that’s all.” He went back to typing. “There is an arrest warrant out for you. It seems. It seems. Really? According to this you were bought and are now considered a runaway.” He looked up at Red’s shocked face.

“Bought.”

“Yes.”

“Bought.”

“Yes.” He returned to his phone.

“You can’t do that. You can’t buy people. That’s illegal. That’s, that’s slavery. I don’t want to be bought. Nobody asked me if I wanted to be bought.”

“Hm.”

“Hm, what?”

“Ah.”

Red pushed back from the table. Arty looked at him. “Some guy wanted you badly. Give me a minute.” It was more like thirty minutes before Arty looked up. “Okay. I think. What I think is this. This old man has a grandson with problems with his legs and he wants you to carry him around. So, he doesn’t have to go everywhere in a chair. And I’m thinking, he want’s you to still be there long after he’s dead and gone. Hence the purchase.”

“I don’t want to carry some child around.”

“Ah. He’s not exactly a child.” He tapped and swiped. “Thirty. He’s thirty years old in two weeks. Maybe you were to be a birthday present?”

“I don’t want to be somebody’s present. Nor do I want to carry around a thirty year old either.” Red started pacing. “Here I want you to carry this guy around for the rest of your life. No. I’m not doing it.” When he calmed down he sat and looked at Arty. “What am I going to do?”

Arty looked vacantly back at him. His voice sounded almost hollow when he asked, “Why did Gogo quit?”

“Until today, I didn’t know he had.” It was this morning, no, last night, when he’d escaped. He suddenly felt very tired. “I thought. I had to assume he’d been killed. I’m tired.”

“Here.” Arty left the room and returned with pajama pants and a tee shirt. “You can wear these.”

“What happened in the square?”

Arty stopped. He had to think a moment. “Oh. Young men always want to test their limits.”

“What limits?”

Arty led the way into the bedroom. “Go ahead, sleep. Sorry, we have to share the bed. You know I should get a folding bed.”

“Thank you.”

“Sure.” Arty nodded and stood at the door. Red stood feeling weird getting into a bed while being watched by Arty. “Permission to leave the city is freely given. For any reason. They’re logged in. I protect those that leave the city. And those that suddenly appear without permission.” He sounded like he was remembering a specific case. “I have to presume they are diseased.” He started over, “Some young men like to dare each other to run out into no man’s land.” He gave a wan smile and shut the door.

Red got in the bed. It was comfortable. He got a little shock. Arty meant him. He’d appeared suddenly, without permission. He could have been killed. He’d been hunted by Arty and didn’t know it. Knowing a Red Tag had been stalking him was not something he would have added to his bucket list. Neither would being held against his will. Or bought!

He sat up in bed and tried to calm himself. Taking deep breaths he quivered. How many times had he done this today? Then he thought, Gogo is alive. He’s alive with Crazy. They’re together. And he has a new job. None of this would have happened to him if he’d just gone with Crazy. Why didn’t he go with him? He felt heavy, tired and laid down. Her?

Sometime during the night Red woke up with Arty draped across him. “Um. Arty?”

Arty woke up and moved away. Sleepily he said, “Sorry. Uh. I found Gogo. Called him. Told him I’m bringing you.” He rubbed his face and went back to sleep. Red was now wide awake, thinking. He ached to speak with his husbands. Eventually he too fell asleep.


	10. Red’s trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gogo and Crazy hear that Red is being brought to them.
> 
> Red travels to them.

Crazy was tired of looking out the window at the endless trees passing by and tired of Gogo’s being on the phone. She ate lunch. She tried to dance and ended up in the bedroom, stretching. She took out her phone and looked at news of the day. Hours later she found in the “breaking news” a listing for a runaway. The picture was of Red with the beginnings of a beard. Shocked she had to use the toilet and went to Gogo. Like most of Gogo’s conversations, this one had him giving someone numbers. She smiled and laid her phone on the table. She crawled into bed and went to sleep.

Crazy stretched languorously. Gogo was besided her. She watched him sleep. Gogo cracked his eyes open. She laughed. “I found Red.” Her face fell. Gogo smiled. He mumbled, “You are amazing.” They loved each other the way they usually did and it was good.

They ate breakfast early. It was still dark out. Gogo answered his phone. A scant minute later he hung up. “Good news. One of my colleagues.” Crazy moved and stood between Gogo’s legs and wrapped his arms around her. He looked up at her, “He has Red and is bringing him to us.” She considered it and looked down at him as she ran her finger’s thru his hair. He smiled for both of them.

__________________________________________

Red helped Arty ready himself for work while eating breakfast and dressing at the same time. Arty was about to protest and judged Red’s expression correctly and let it go. “You need to shave and cut your hair.”

“Oh, I think you’re right. Thank you.” Red finished eating while Arty hacked away with a pair of scissors. They each used a razor on him, Arty doing his head while Red did his face. Arty surveyed the work and suggested they take off his eyebrows. “They are red, aren’t they?” They took them off. “Now, I look really weird, especially with these shoes. They left the house in record time. The market area was quiet. One vendor was prepping fruit. Red ate. Near the gate he was about to enter a house, “If the chopper shows up, and I hear it coming, get in.” They did and dropped the chair for him.

Red thanked Gunner. Gunner looked around mystified, “Did you hear something?”

“Not me.” Said the pilot. Gunner grinned at Red.

Red watched the men work and picked at the idiotic shoes. They were old shoes. Like historically old. But, the rubber soles still worked. It was the canvas on top that was fragile. Someone had wrapped thick tape, the kind called duck tape, crisscrossing it over and over and cut the excess off at the bottom edge of the sole. To keep the tape from coming off, from pealing off, they’d run a line of staples. These shoes were the lowest of the low. Poor people, farmers, not even day laborers wore these shoes. They had a short life span. Once the fibers gave out and the tape tore they’d be useless. And what do ducks have to do with tape?

Later, gunner left half his lunch sitting next to Red. They nodded to each other. Three set’s of eyes watched Arty work down below.

Late in the afternoon they neared another chopper. Gunner pepped the chair. His eyes swung around to Red. Red got in the chair. He smiled his thanks as Gunner dropped him down. He dismounted the chair. Arty had been just here and now he was nowhere to be seen. Red spun around, felt exposed and dropped down to his feet and those idiotic shoes. The chopper was gone! Yikes! He could never work for General Defense. Not even as a white tag. The chopper returned and dropped the chair. He got in wondering what was going on. Oh. This was a different crew. Their gunner handed him a bottle of water. They were flying very fast, straight in one direction. The men often said numbers to each other. When they eased up Red saw their Red Tag on the ground, working. The gunner dropped down on the chair and returned a moment later. A fire now burned below them.

It took Red a minute to remember, that they usually cremated the diseased. Far off in the distance he saw another tiny plume of smoke.

Gunner sent the chair down, empty. It returned with their Red Tag. Their officer was a female. Red and her looked at each other for a while. The chopper headed somewhere specific, again very fast, for what seemed like hours. It was. She went to sleep. Gunner was now sitting next to the pilot. Red tried to sleep.

The sun was low on the horizon when Gunner, careful about waking his crew mate, with a wave, lowered Red.

Red again watched the chopper leave and appear to return for him. His eyes went wide. He rode in a conventional chopper this time. Not with the four blades of the quad chopper. This was a long distance, made for hauling people, type vehicle.

Their gunner didn’t appear to be a gunner. They immediately returned to the cockpit. Red found a box lunch and water on one of the ten seats. Red ate, used the toilet in back, reclined his seat and slept.

He woke slowly, woozy and stiff. He’d slept all night. He found another box meal with a paper bag on top. Inside was a razor. The gunner, who wasn’t a gunner came out to him. “Sleep well?”

He nodded, “Yes.”

“You have ten or eleven minutes.” She smiled and returned to her seat. He saw that the pilot was also female.

Red clumsily used the bathroom and shaved, thinking they don’t have an officer. He was still eating when it was time to go. He took the water and razor with him. She smiled and waved as he disappeared from view.

He looked around as he was lowered. He was starting to get the hang of riding in these chairs.Suddenly the chopper with it’s low pitched drone, stopped moving forward. He curved in an arc ahead of the vehicle. Something happened and he was smoothly back again underneath it. He looked up. They went slightly higher. He looked behind him.

A quad chopper was dropping someone, then pulled them up. He twisted around to watch. A plume of fire and some smoke rose from the area. He heard a couple of small sounds. Little ticks, like banging two rocks together. He kept looking and found a man in white judging four people. Two were in balls. Two were not. The two standing moved and were shot. Red felt lightheaded. He became aware of his teeth.

He’d feinted and they pulled him back up. “There you go. See me? How many fingers?”

“Two.”

“Good. Do you know where you are?”

“No. How could I? I’m in a helicopter.”

“Hm. You’re fine. Drink some water.” He felt obligated to drink. Since she was waiting for him to drink. So, he did. He threw up on his shoes. Most of it slid off the tape. He smiled. They couldn’t get any worse.

“Here we go.” She helped him out of the chair and back into a seat. “This happens even to people are trained to ride the chairs. That stop and swing you around didn’t help. Sorry about that.”

“I’m okay. Thank you. What. Did he kill the other two?”

She sat two seats over from him. “No.” She watched him. “Are you hungry?”

He nodded, yes. The mess was gone. When did that happen? She brought him another box. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And again, sorry about the rough ride. I know we’re not really supposed to talk to each other.” Red’s brows went up. “For security.”

“Oh.”

“Deniability. Yep.” She looked away, letting him eat. “The Reds don’t automatically kill people. They kill the diseased. He has to judge people who’ve been touched and yet they don’t show any symptoms, yet. I’ve been told, everyone who’s ever been touched always claims they’re the one in a thousand who is immune. Which is why the disease spread so far and so fast over the planet. Then they have to come back in a week and find them again. Feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you.”

She changed her mic over and talked to the pilot. She turned back to him. “Two minutes. Let’s get you in.”

He got in. “How can they tell?”

“Tell?”

“When someone is diseased?”

“Years and years of training. And then they are tested every three months. They have to get a hundred percent or they have to go back for more training.” She rose out of his view as he was lowered.

Gogo never left them, unless the training took a day. Red doubted that. He was at the ground before he was ready.

This Red Tag met him. Clearly he was working. He hoisted Red, as if he was not heavy and maneuvered him around by his arm and shirt collar out of the chair and off to his right. Another chair dropped in front of them. He held Red as he got in, locked him in, looked up, flipped his fingers and the chair went up.

In another quad Red sat. Two minutes. Two minutes ago he’d been talking to her and now he was here. It felt like less than two minutes. He took a deep breath. Looking around for the other helicopter, because he wondered what exactly it looked like, and he couldn’t find it. He assumed it was either directly behind them or it flew higher up in the sky.

The next three exchanges were calm compared to the one he just did. He saw no diseased on the ground. No plumes of fire or smoke. They gave him food and water and didn’t talk with him.

The last time he was lowered a Red Tag stood nearby. Keeping watch. The chopper left. Red neared him wondering if he should fold up into a ball. He didn’t. Finally he said, “Hi. I’m Red.”

“We’re waiting for your ride.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Nothing happened, except the man slowly rotated. “How come the Red Tag’s never wear helmets. But, clearly you are talking to the rest of your crew. Do you all use hand signals?”

His look and smile were startling intimate. “You’re married to Gogo.” He returned to his watch.

“I am. I’ve never seen him with a helmet. Or working before.”

“You should ask Gogo.” He smiled and met Red’s eyes. “When you are alone.” He returned to watching. “Before you ask him. Tell him you’re going to ask him something private. See if he doesn’t move you somewhere else. When you get there give him a message?”

“Sure. Anything. Thank you for doing all this for me.”

The man pointedly tilted his head. “We always take care of our own.”

Red hesitatedly smiled and thought about what that meant.

“Especially when we make mistakes.”

“So, if Gogo made a mistake, then you’d protect him.”

He did a slow blink. “Sure. Let’s go with that. Tell your husband this, 3,3 and 109.”

“Thirty three and a hundred and nine.”

“Not like that. Just three, three and one, oh, nine.

“Three three and one oh nine.”

“Exactly.” He smiled again.

Red watched an old fashioned train, a choo choo, in the distance curve around a small hill.

“There is your ride. Try not to leave the room. Not for anything. The room has a sink, but no toilet.” He smiled with such intensity Red was transfixed for a moment. “I’m sure you won’t be the first one to use the sink to take a piss. Maybe you want to use that bush?” Red pissed, but otherwise, he was empty. “They’ll bring you your meals. When you’re alone with Gogo give him the message from me.”

The train was close and slowing down. Red could feel through the ground the massive weight as the train thundered past them.

Eventually the train stopped with hissing and creaking sounds. “Take care, Red.” The conductor jumped down and folded out a step from the last car. He looked at the man in white. Red looked around, “Thank you.” The Tagged man had already left. Red boarded.

The train was already moving. The conductor led him to the first door. “This is the best room on this train.”

“Thank you.” Red was acutely aware of his shabby clothes. He peeped out the edge of the curtain to see the man in the foliage. Off in the distance his quad copter was coming in fast, it’s four props banked almost vertical to stop. The chair seemed to fall to the ground. Red caught a glimpse of the man in white rising up into the vehicle.

Red grinned to himself. The guys must have heard about him vomiting. He did not go up and down that fast. He checked out the little room. There was a front facing sofa and what looked like another one locked shut up above. There was a sink, hot and cold faucet, a mirror and two buttons labeled, Porter and Conductor. There was room for luggage under the bed. Cleaverly hidden in the opposite wall was a fold down table. There was a knock at the door. “Hello, sir. I was told you might be hungry.” The conductor entered with a tray and deftly lowered the table from the wall.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sir. The facilities are three doors down on the left. If you need anything please ring for me. I’m the conductor. Please don’t ring for the porter.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Yes, sir. If there is nothing else?”

“No.”

“Good.” And he left.

Red almost swore when he looked at the food. A steak. He took a deep whiff. Beef. It was surrounded by mounds of fresh vegetables. He tried the round red one poking out the top. Different. There was a card. Photos of the veggies with names and descriptions. The red one was a radish.

He sat, said his prayer, and took an hour enjoying his meal.


	11. Why? Because..

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red takes the last leg of his trip and meets up with Gogo and Crazy.

Red rode the train until the conductor told him it was time to get off. He had a momentary start as he disembarked. A group of men in white waited for him. Thinking they were all red tags he assumed this was a very dangerous place. They turned out to be one red and five blues. Two were women. They walked together towards a group of vehicles. Red thought they’d board the different trucks. So he was surprised when they all boarded a bus. They followed a few trucks and more trucks followed them. Everyone was waiting for him to sit. Red Tag sat at a table and offered a seat across from him. The bus picked up speed.

“Can I offer you a drink or something to eat?

“Maybe later. Thank you.”

“We have a toilet, shower in back.”

“No, thank you. Unless you want me to take a shower?”

“Maybe later.” Red looked around. They were all smiling.

“I’m sorry, one of you gave me these clothes. As a disguise.”

The Red nodded in a knowing way. “Tell us what happened to you.”

“Gogo went to work. In the afternoon Crazy, Gogo’s other husband.” They nodded. Because they knew her. Right. “Ah. Anyway, we went for a walk. When we came back Management was there. They were taking everything. Cleaning out the apartment. Crazy decided to leave. She took her travel box with her and I went with Management.”

“Where did they take you?”

“The trip was very long. So long, that they gave me something to eat and then I fell asleep and when I woke up we were in a garage. I took a shower. They gave me a room and they kinda. Well, they kinda took my clothes and gave me new clothing. New shoes. They were white. Completely white. Then we drove and were in a garage and they took me up an elevator and walked me into a bedroom. At first I thought it was a hotel room. But, it was a prison.” Unhappily he looked out the window.

“Then you dug a hole in the floor and somehow worked your way out.”

“How did you know?” They smiled. “I took the elevator.”

Again the men broke out in smiles.

“I, ah, was in a maintenance level and I rode down to S1. I hid from the guard. When I went out the exit it was dark out and the streets were empty. I kept turning everytime I heard a car. I was in a park. That was scary.”

“How?”

“I think someone was looking for me and their searchlight lit up people’s eyes in the dark. And then there was one of the diseased right in front of me and I.” Red kept talking faster and faster and he needed to breath. He held his head in his hand. People moved around him. When he looked upeveryone was drinking. There was a glass in front of him. “Where are we going?”

The bus turned and again picked up speed.

“To Gogo’s location. We will be there within the hour. Twenty four minutes.”

“Oh. That’s great. Is this were you work?”

“No. We, work in Chicago. Which is where you were taken.”

“I was in Chicago?”

“Yes. Did you encounter anyone? Before you left the city?”

Red looked down and reddened. In a small voice he said, “Yes.”

“What happened?”

“I took the bed apart. I laid one of the struts across the hole and lowered myself down and took the other one with me. That man was so frightening. His eyes had no expression. He just lunged at me. And I poked him with the strut and ran.”

“Thank you for clearing that little detail up. You might like to know he survived,” he smiled, “being poked, for a while. And yes, he was one of the diseased.” Three of the blue tags smiled. They found a man with a hole in his skull wandering aimlessly in the street. Even without the wound they knew he was diseased. They put him out of his misery, then said a prayer over him, and burned him.

Red waited. Nobody said anything. “Then I heard a truck. One of the old ones. It was very noisy. I walked into the street and waved at the driver. He stopped and let me ride in the back seat. We reached some place. He had a friend drive me. Oh, he was the one that gave me the clothes. Not one of you. Sorry. Then he told me to jump out and I think someone stopped him. Either one of you or somebody else. I heard shots being fired and was afraid they killed the driver, but then the truck drove away. And then there were more shots.” Red blinked several times remembering being discovered by a Red Tag.

The man across from him quietly said a number. “And you spent the night with him.” Red nodded like school boy.

“I learned a lot more about what Gogo does at work. I don’t ever want to fly in a quad copter again. Never. Ever.” He paused, remembering. “At first it was interesting.”

“Do you see the train beside us?” He waited for Red to look. “Gogo and Crazy are aboard. We asked the train to stop. These trains take kilometers to slow and stop. And they asked if we could wait until they reach the next station. So, here we are, trying to keep pace with a train. The train was winning.

“There in there.” Red examined the windows.

“They are in the last car.”

“Oh, just like I was.”

The men exchanged glances. They knew.

“Can I ask you, if some day you find out why this all happened, please let me know?”

“Well, it’s a story of two wealthy men.”

Red turned from the window. “So, you know.”

“One, the one in Chicago, a Mr. Brightmen has a friendly rivalry or maybe he’s jealous of Mr. Wayoming. He learned of Wayoming’s offer of a job to Gogo. The offer was made decades ago. Even so, when Brightmen learned of it he hired men of dubious morals to imitate the diseased and make it look like Gogo was making mistakes on the job. Hoping he’d be fired in disgrace. Unfortunately they took the instructions a couple of steps too far. The city’s walls were breached. And they then attacked Gogo’s city. They also didn’t count on Gogo quitting. They kidnapped you under the guise of hiring/purchasing you out of spite.”

“How dare he.” Red flushed again.

“Who knows what they might have done if Crazy had gone with you? We’re looking into that. And FYI, Gogo knows everything we know.” Without looking he pointed at the window. “And here is the last car.”

Red rose right up off the seat and slapped both hands on the window on either side of his face. Gogo and Crazy were doing the same at the train’s window. Gogo smiled and Crazy looked serious.


	12. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunion of the Boys.

The train did wait for Red and pulled out the moment the Conductor followed him aboard and sealed the door. The Conductor did a curt nod to Gogo and headed forward.

Red and Crazy hugged each other. He ran his hands through her hair. “I should have gone with you, Crazy.”

“It’s okay.” They both looked at Gogo, yet sat next to each other on the couch.

“You know?”

Gogo knelt in front of them. “We do.” They continued to touch each other as if to verify they were really there. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to go through that, either of you. I thought that by quitting you’d each have a new spouse and be happy. I did not know we were being tossed around, maneuvered in _some_ man’s game. People could have died. The city they attacked was vulnerable to a mass breakout of the disease.”

“Gogo.” Red’s eyes watered and wandered as he thought of what he should say. He blinked rapidly.

“You look like you’re in some agony, just, just say it. Anything my love.” He kissed Red’s hand.

Red leaned forward and kissed Gogo caressing his neck and the short hairs he loved to push back and forth. “I’m so happy I’m here with you.” He leaned back. “Finally.” He kissed Crazy. “Gogo, I learned a lot about your job.” He looked back at Crazy. “The things I saw. You must, please tell me more about it.”

Crazy said, “I think I want to know, too.”

“I’ll start at the beginning. Can we do this laying down in bed? I want to be in the middle, surrounded by your love and I’m not sure what you are wearing.” Crazy laughed. The right kind of laugh.

Red jumped up. “How do you like my disguise? Isn’t it real, trey sheik?” He wiggled his hips.

Crazy replied, “It reeks of something.”

Gogo looked downward, “Love the shoes.”

“Maybe we can burn them later.”

Red spun around, “I don’t know, burning rubber. That will reek even more.”

“Help me Crazy. Red’s gotta lose these clothes as soon as we can get them off him,” and held on to a foot. “Are these taped to your feet?”

Crazy pulled the shirt up off his head, “Ah. The smell, Red. The smell. What were you doing?”

“I guess it’s too many days. I don’t quite notice it any more.”

“Into the shower with you. You smell like rotting something.”

Red came out of the shower and flipped the covers off the other two and joined them, dragging the covers behind him. Crazy fixed them, watching the other two closely. “What are you going to tell us, Gogo?”

“My life, Crazy.”

“I already know as much as I need to know.”

“Thank you, Crazy.” Red was astounded watching the two of them rub noses. What have these two been up to?

“Gogo!” Red sat up. “I forgot I have a message for you. I don’t know their name. Almost nobody told me their names the whole time, the whole time! Except Arty, and I slept with him.”

Gogo and Crazy chortled at the same time, “Ahhhha.”

Red defended himself, “What? Nothing happened. I stayed at his house. He had one bed. His wife wasn’t there.”

Crazy said, “Not helping.”

Gogo grinned, “This is getting better and better. Did you sleep in that outfit or were you,” he laughed, “Commando?”

“Ah. Yeah, yeah you laugh. I saw people doing your job. For real. Talk about commandos. The message is three three and one oh nine. Yeah, that’s right.”

Gogo looked askance. “That wasn’t from Arty?”

“No. No, no. That was the Red Tag from the last quad chopper I rode in and right before I boarded the train.” His eyes swept over to Crazy, “He had magnetic eyes.”

Crazy sat up, demurely covering her chest. “You rode in a quad chopper?”

“Several.”

“That many?”

“Never again.” Red waved his hand in a stop traffic motion. “They lower a chair. You strap in and they haul you up. When it’s time to go, they shove you out the door. No. But! It’s almost as bad. You’re hanging from a rope going down. It’s so fast.”

Gogo enjoyed watching them. He stayed quiet. He knew about the upchucking.

“So, what does it mean?”

“Yes. What do the cryptic numbers you are always saying, mean?”

“I should begin at the beginning. Those numbers, those particular numbers are telling me who you were talking to. And he was a classmate when I was in school.”

Crazy crooned, “That’s nice. You have another boy who loves you.”

Gogo gushed, “Crazy. You do sometimes drive me. Kiss me my love. So, I don’t feel hurt.” She did as he asked and snuggled up next to him.

Red feeling cold from his shower joined her in snuggling up to Gogo. “I’m so glad to be back with you.”

“I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me, too.”

Gogo took a deep breath. “In the beginning children are entered, usually as orphans or less frequently their parent sign them over to the school before they are five. At their fifth birthday.”

Crazy interrupted, “How old were you?”

“I was an orphan. Maybe the day I was born.”

“Oh, Gogo.”

“I’m fine, Crazy. The thing is you are a child until your fifth birthday. And then your schooling begins and you are given a badge with your name. And it is white. They explain the colors when you’re older. Everything reinforces the fact that you are a member of the group. Children who subvert others or don’t back the team, they leave the program. One time I noticed certain children were adopted out. Yeah. I think all along your life they keep removing people. Maybe they can’t train them or retrain them. I don’t know. I wasn’t a part of that. I do know that there are three parts.

One part becomes the people in management who deal with General Defense. Another part become all the pilots and drivers and sometimes the airborne gunners. And then the smallest and probably the most expensive division is the badge holders, the officers of the law.”

Red thinking it through, said slowly, “There is the smart group, the physical group and the smart and physical group. At five they give the children a white badge.”

“Yes.”

“At what age do they pass out blue badges?”

“There is no specific age. There is a range of ages. It’s when your ready to go out into the field with a red, then you are given a blue.”

“How old were you?”

“Twelve.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Crazy looking up thru her eyelashes at Gogo asked, “What age do most receive a blue?”

“Well, it varies.”

“Tell me. I don’t know why it feels important. What age was your friend, when he got?”

“He was fourteen.”

Red looked like he was fine with that explanation, but Crazy asked again, “Most are a blue at what age?”

“Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.”

“So, you were there working in the field at twelve with other children who may have been seven years older than you. And how did they tease you?”

“Tease me?”

“Did they always have you be the, the um, the equipment carrier. You know what I mean.”

“I do. What you are describing happens in a normal school. In General Defense we are all equals, regardless of age.”

“Really?”

“Really. You are a blue. You are a full fledged blue. From day one, you better be ready.”

“We are alone, so, I have another question for you. I asked Mr. 33.”

“One oh nine.”

“Right. Why didn’t the Red Tags wear a helmet?” Gogo did a shallow, quick yawn. “I never saw any of them wearing a helmet.”

“Well. I didn’t want to freak Crazy. I didn’t want to scare her.”

Red’s eyes slid over to Crazy, “Oh.”

She asked slowly, “Why? What’s is scary?”

“I have an implant. Right behind my ear. I can’t hear them any more, because I quit. They turned it off.”

“Oh.”

“It’s used for me to talk to my crew in the helicopter. It is a kind of hands free phone. One I cannot lose.”

“Oh.”

Red moved the conversation in another direction, “Gogo, how old are you?”

Gogo ran his hand over the fringe of hair Red was regrowing on his head, “I’m 29.”

“Oh, I’m 31. It’s just a thought I had as I contemplated spending the rest of my life carrying some old guy’s adult child around.” It was an intimate moment between them. Red brought Crazy back into the conversation. “How old are you Crazy?”

“Why do you need to know?”

“I don’t.” He smiled at her. “Not knowing isn’t going to bother me.”

“Okay. I’m 23.”

Gogo jumped up, turned and on his knees he stared at Crazy like he’d never seen her before.

Red exclaimed, “Thirteen! You, you married us at thirteen? How could you do that?”

“I lied.” She giggled. “I told management I was sixteen and my birthday was next month. I’m taller than most and I told them I practice dancing every day. And then it took another year before you wanted me.”

“So, we thought you were seventeen with your eighteenth birthday the next month.”

Slowly Gogo started to laugh, “Well,” he looked at Red, “that explains a lot of things.” He looked back at Crazy. “I remember our wedding night.”

Red choked.

Crazy looked adorable. Gogo kissed her. “Welcome to the family, Crazy Beautiful.”

Red moved over the top of both of them, putting Crazy in the middle, and joined in on the kissing.

  
  



End file.
